Isolation and Propagation of Rat Peritoneal Mesothelial Cells

Abstract With the development of peritoneal dialysis in many countries, there has been much interest in the cell biology of peritoneal mesothelial cells. In this chapter we describe a reliable and reproducible method for the culture of rat primary mesothelial cells (RPMCs). This chapter outlines how to isolate mesothelial cells from rat peritoneum. The subculture of primary peritoneal mesothelial cells and the characterization by immunofluorescence is also described in detail.